


The Love of Lions and Lambs

by Kisk_Riots



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Industrial Revolution, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Best Friends, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Blood, Boarding School, Character Death, Childhood Friends, Coming of Age, Consensual, Consensual Non-Consent, Consensual Sex, Cross-Generation Relationship, Crossdressing, Dark Past, Death, Drama, Drama & Romance, Drug Dealing, Drug-Induced Sex, Drugged Sex, Drugs, Explicit Sexual Content, Extremely Underage, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Forced Orgasm, Français | French, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gang Rape, Gangsters, Gay, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Guilt, Historical, Hot Sex, Human Trafficking, Idiots in Love, Illegal Activities, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Light Bondage, Light Masochism, M/M, Male Friendship, Masturbation, Masturbation in Shower, Minor Character Death, Moving In Together, Murder, Must Read, Non-Consensual, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Og - Freeform, Oral Sex, Origin Story, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Politics, Professors, Profound Bond, Public Humiliation, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Religious Conflict, Religious Guilt, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, School, School Uniforms, Schoolboys, Science Fiction, Sex, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Sexual Inexperience, Sexual Violence, Shameless Smut, Shota, Shower Sex, Smut, Statutory Rape, Steampunk, Students, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teaching, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Underage Drug Use, Underage Masturbation, Underage Prostitution, Underage Rape/Non-con, Underage Sex, Victorian, Victorian Science Fiction, Violence, Violent Sex, Work In Progress, mafia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:12:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2118123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kisk_Riots/pseuds/Kisk_Riots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alone and too clever for his own good, young Cassius Pemdrake straddles the border between gifted genius and cynical recluse at just ten years old. He finds himself ostracized by those his age and isolated from everyone else in the ever growing gap between his intellect and social skills. When the humble and bewilderingly brilliant Professor Theophilus Ross enters his life, an instant forms a bond between two outcasts. The coming years the two are destined to spend together will bring fierce standoffs, unimaginable joy, plunging into the dark underbelly of crime and politics, the rise and fall of ego, tragedy, but most of all an unyielding love that will fight against the darkness soon to consume young Cassius's life and the terrible secrets hidden behind the unassuming demeanor of  Prof. Ross.<br/>An intense coming of age story and an evolving kinship between two lost souls plays out in this -- The Love of Lions and Lambs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. By Chance

**Author's Note:**

> My first public work! Hooray. First off, thank you for clicking on my story, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy creating it! If you have any ideas to improve shoot off a comment, I'd love to hear. I know there are a million, but please read the tags, because this will be graphic. If you're easily upset, be careful.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set on an industrial timeline in a country comprised or English and French traits of that time period.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I abandoned this project so soon after taking it up. As I was writing, I found myself fighting every word and it so quickly became a battle I didn't want to go on with. This tale is so near and dear to my heart that I wanted to tell it Right. So after a very obnoxious hiatus, I'm coming back at a better time, with a firmer grasp of how I want to lay out the story. It will end up longer than I originally intended, but luckily I'm not constrained by page space. Hopefully this will flow better and make this into more enjoyable content.

A line of blood began along an ivory cheek. The cut was inconsequential since the hurled stone that caused it was quickly joined by others. Cassius took off down the sidewalk. The small group that sent the rocks raced after him yelling, as if insulted Cassius thought he could escape their harassment. Four boys shoes dashed along the concrete after their prey. The feral group growled his name, daring him to stop so they might have their fun. A sewer yellow and brown bruise just above his newly cut cheek served a swollen reminder of what would happen if the tsunami of shouts behind Cassius caught up. Matching marks from the last after school encounter dotted his arms and covered his torso. It seemed every other day that Cassius was hurling himself down a road to avoid the torrent of punishment from his classmates. His crime was only ever not belonging. Most of these encounters could be avoided with a quick escape from the schoolhouse at the end of lessons, but on the dismal occasions he was not quick enough, some three to five assailants would remind him why being different was dangerous. Continuing down the straight shot of concrete, his more physically inclined pursuers were clearly catching up so a strategic change was in order. A missing plank in a pewter fence was eyed to his right. Cassius quickly dashed to the opening and wiggled through. In escaping, his tiny frame was far superior to his adversaries. Though he still managed to tear at his uniform coat. 

  
Breathless and wobbly on his wiry legs, he finally stopped after the jackals had been gone from sight for a block or so. He found a seat on a cold curb, a soothing temperature which he welcomed. Sweat was easing into the fibers of his school jacket so it was removed hastily. A quick inspection of the rip along the front put a scowl on Cassius's soft lips. His parents would not be pleased about it. Even though it was late afternoon, the sky was dark with clouds, another storm seemed to be boiling in the blistering sky. Summer was almost past, so the last of the storms were crashing through with wilting vengeance. Oil colored clouds bore against the azure skyline, threatening to sizzle to blue right out of the color spectrum. The cool sidewalk had city water flowing cold and fast underneath, keeping it a chilled haven against the boiling air. As such, Cassius lounged on the stone and pursued his most adored pass time, observation. The houses lining the road were large and ornate, sheltering those with wealth and a name with status stapled to each letter. He found them gaudy and unnecessary. A carriage swept past, a simple and efficient model. The carriage was small and undecorated, the mechanical horse thin, but powerful. Cassius recalled his great uncle once mentioning a time when living horses pulled carriages around. He contemplated the mess that would leave in the streets and the bothersome upkeep. It was hardly a wonder that when it was feasible, transportation chose the lifeless metal cage and whirring cogs that would never tire.

From the black clouds a stroke of light flashed across the smoldering pit. Though he would never admit it to any soul- living or deep within their grave, thunder spooked him far worse than any bully. He gathered the books he had set beside him and tossed his torn coat over his shoulder. The walk home would take him only a few minutes, not a single one did Cassius enjoy. The only thing that put life in his step on his short trek was a cool house and his father's promise to be home with a new constellation map the two would use later that night. The four story homes shrunk to three and after another set of streets, down to two. Though they were shorter than the prestigious homes, they still held a far larger surface space than the average working class. Cassius eased open the thin metal gate and hopped along the stepping stones raised above a perfectly manicured lawn of dead brown. His mother refused to waste the water even if they could afford to. That was just the person she was. Pointlessly caring to a fault.

At the door he turned the knob, not bothering for his key since his father would be there. It gave some resistance and after a firm jerk, he was surprised to find it yet locked. His father could be more security conscious so it didn't bother him to fish the iron key from his side bag and slip in the door. When the door opened however, he found himself standing in an unlit house, silent and void of life. Cassius's face fell and he let his book bag fall disappointed on the entry buffet. The gas lamp flared on after a twist of the key, giving light to the small area. The entryway was lit well enough that Cassius could see himself in the mirror decorating the buffet top. His hair was matted down by sweat distorting the color if his soft beige fluff. Normally it accented his light skin in a conservative part, but running in the heat had it messy in waves. He looked nothing like his parents. His mother, with perfectly curled auburn that swung to her elbows with freckled skin and the ability to tan. His father, with olive skin and matching eyes that made his deep earth hair look darker than it was. Both stood tall and well built, the couple meant to be. Then there was Cassius, spindly limbed with unnatural lavender iris glaring at him from his reflection. He was the product of a foudre plant failure. Foudre being the power source that replaced gas and coal in large scale utility. His mother was in the heart of a facility newly constructed in a struggling country she was working at the embassy for. Low tech and low budget, a shocking amount of shortcuts were taken and the plant was spewing geysers of raw energy unbeknownst to the four month pregnant ambassador. A fetus getting soaked with that much foudre was dangerous, and while his birth was a shock, in light of the alternative, it was lucky. The outside found his features as queer as his mind. These factors all aligned to make him who he is.

Alone.

Cassius pulled away from his reflection and went around the first floor lighting the lamps. The clouds had the evening sky mimicking night, making an already empty house colder to the eye. On the dining table, something that didn't belong sat on the lace table cloth. Unrolled, it was a constellation map. One he already had. Sighing was a waste of time. Cassius simply rolled the map back up and shuffled silently up the stairs, down the hall, and up a ladder to the attic where he had made his room on his seventh birthday. He tossed the useless roll of paper into his waste bin and placed his remaining school items in the precise place he allocated for each item. His bag hung on a hook by his door. Scuffed brown shoes went under his desk. He stripped from his white pressed shirt and khaki shorts, folding them and placing them neatly in the hamper. The little navy tie and his socks went in the smallest drawer of his bureau since they could be worn twice and he had only just dawned them today. Only then did he change into a cotton button down and more comfortable grey shorts. His father used to tease him about how odd it was for a boy his age to be so clean, how he should come home cover in mud every day, but as both parent's careers picked up, M. Pemdrake found himself thanking heaven for such a low maintenance child.

The next few hour passed without a sound beyond the scraping of a fountain pen against paper as Cassius worked through his assignments and the clapping thunder beyond the safety of the walls. The storm eventually died away and Cassius had long since moved onto calculations of his own when the door below opened. Cass craned his neck to hear and was rewarded with the voice of his mother chatting with her servant.

"Oui Atrine, this should be fine for tonight. Merci." Eleuthéria Pemdrake had already dismissed the family cook and was shuffling through a stack of papers at the dining table when Cassius emerged from upstairs.

"Good evening my petit one, how was your day?" She instantly warmed up at the sight of him, waving him over gaily.

"Just fine ma mere." He replied just before the cut on his cheek was noticed. A sadness flashed in her blue eyes and a frown sullied her pink lips.

"Again Cassius?" He knew it broke her heart to see her son constantly covered in bruises and cuts made by those who should be his friends. Quickly he raised his hands n defense. "No, no. I took a shortcut home and was caught on a fence." Cassius poured conviction into his half lie, preferring to be scolded for carelessness than have his mother look at him like a kicked puppy. It was clear as soon as he said it she didn't believe him. Her gentle hand fell on his cheek and thumbed the torn skin tenderly. Cassius stared at the ground. "Please do not tell papa." He pleaded quietly.

Her hand was replaced by a small kiss and she pulled her son into a hug. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" She licked her thumb and began wiping away the dried blood. Cassius shook his head and she sighed. His mother's concern was a tolerable unpleasantry, his father's reaction was much less so. She let him pull away after he placed a quick kiss on her own cheek. "Go on now." She ushered him off as she had work to do and it was clear Cassius was itching to escape. 

She returned to her stack and Cassius slipped gratefully. As per usual, he wound up in the kitchen, watching the older woman work. "Atrine?" He questioned, sitting at his place on the island and thumbing open the daily news. Cassius had grown up with Atrine and Bernard, his parent's two person army. He knew she was listening and did not wait for a response. "Do you know why my father is not home yet?"

The woman didn't miss a beat in her duties while holding a conversation with her young master. "Monsieur sent word that some emergency arose at the factory and may not be able to return tonight."

Cassius had been scanning the prose before, but at her words he stared blankly at the worker as she buzzed around the kitchen. "That isn't right." He spoke at last. For his entire life, no matter how busy his father had gotten, they always shared dinner as a family. It didn't matter if it was late or early, dinner as a family was the one time absolutely set aside always. With his mother constantly traveling for the embassy, it had become an unbreakable rule.

"Monsieur sent his regards petite garcon." He supposed that meant the star chart. She hummed a song Cassius knew well, but right now he hated that tune. She was lying. That had to be it. His father would never abandon dinner. Not after breaking his promise to spend the day with him already. Maybe he was bringing home a surprise to make up for earlier? Cassius yanked out his chair and marched up to his room, letting possible scenarios whirl through his head.

Dinner that night was only the three of them.

~

The next morning, he did not emerge from his attic hideaway when Atrine called him down for breakfast. Even as his mother stole time from her busy morning to urge him out, Cassius remained behind his locked door. Only after Mme. Pemdrake’s departure did he venture from beyond the sure safety of his room. The sun was only just beginning to properly light the sky as he pulled the napkin from the covered plate left neatly on the kitchen island.  
He finished getting ready in silent solitude. The motions of cleaning after himself were so finely executed, an onlooker would have trouble finding proof he had moved through the mute house at all.  
With his uniform on and the bell’s toll approaching, he stood in the front entry, using the mirror to finish his tie. A small stack of books rested on the buffet, lovingly collected by his mother from M. Pemdrake’s study. Cassius had almost forgotten today was Thursday. The borrowed books would have been a nuisance to fetch later to return and he silently thanked his very thoughtful parent. However, something was amiss as the torn corner of newspaper that sat on top was not a usual site. As he scooped up the text, he inspected the ink hastily written over the small print.

_"Mon chere, please understand even though your father love you very much, he works so hard and cannot always be around even if he wants to be. Have a good day at school little love. "_ Cassius’s peony lips pursed at her words. He felt his brow furrow in embarrassment at how silly he had been. Of course his father wouldn’t have wanted to be working all night. He shook his head and neatly folded the note, slipping it into his shorts pocket. Even without her physical presence, his mother still managed to make him feel better. Without the dreary cloud of abandonment hanging over his thoughts, he found it much easier to open the front door and ease into the rest of the day. 

~


	2. What's Mine is Yours

Under re-construction.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm constantly adding new content and editing to make it better and longer. I'm planning on updating every Tuesday and Friday until it's finished.


End file.
